Education of Physics Teachers in the 21st Century

Abstract

Education in the 21st century requires a new design of educational programs for all types and levels of schools. The pre-graduate physics teacher education faces new requirements from the learning school environment. Now we need to answer the key question, if our university is able to prepare students for their further practice at schools. This paper will present the outcomes of our research aimed at the pedagogical content knowledge of the pre-graduate science teachers. The main goal of the research was to compare the competences of experienced practical teachers and students specialized in teaching during their contiguous teaching practice. Based on the research results the evaluation of the science teacher education program at the Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, was realized.